


a late night appointment

by copiasbm



Series: Secrets? [1]
Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Brief mention of abortion, Brief mention of miscarriage, Brief mentions of murder, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Other, also the last time i wrote something was probably 2013?? have mercy, but i swear it's not that bad, god who knows, is it angst???, is it fluff??, long sentences, lots of commas, not me, this sounds Really Fucked Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 02:46:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16945503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copiasbm/pseuds/copiasbm
Summary: Callisto is temporarily standing in for Sister Imperator, who is currently in the hospital, but miscalculated just how tough the job would be, all while hiding their best friend Bianca's pregnancy from the upper clergymen. In this installment, they attempt to go over the tour dates with Cardinal Copia, but are too overworked to properly function.





	a late night appointment

“Why did I agree to this,” Callisto groans, holding their head. Their desk is riddled with different papers; contracts, letters, bills… This was a terrible idea. When Sister Imperator told them what they had to do, it all seemed fairly easy. Now though, in this dimly lit office, with an American and a European tour to organize, a budget to go over with the treasurers, and a distraught Papa Nihil to watch over, it’s all getting to be very difficult.

And to top it all off, Bianca is pregnant. That situation is probably more stressful than everything else combined. There’s no doubt in Callisto’s mind that the Clergy wouldn’t hesitate to terminate the pregnancy if they were to find out. Would they force Bianca to get an abortion? Make them miscarry? Kill them? If the Clergy already killed Papa Emeritus III, they certainly wouldn’t want any of his progeny running around-

The sound of knocking interrupts Callisto’s thoughts.

“Come in,” they call out, voice hoarse from talking on the phone all day. As the door creaks open, they try to tidy up the papers on their desk and fix their hair. Who would come see them at such an hour?

“Good evening, Sister.”

Cardinal Copia walks into the office and closes the door behind him. His eyes widen a bit at Callisto’s current condition. Their hair is a mess, their eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep. It looked, to the Cardinal, as though they were straining themself just to look at him. “I hope this isn’t a bad time for you, Sister,” he says, sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk. “You wanted to speak with me about the American tour dates?”

Callisto sits up with a start. “Y-yes, the American tour dates,” they stammer. “Ah, where are my papers–” They start searching through the mess of books and papers on their desk. Where are those damned tour dates? They had seen them just a moment ago, before the Cardinal entered.

“Aren’t those the tour dates, Sister?” Cardinal Copia asks, pointing at a sheet of paper in Callisto’s hands.

Callisto looks at the paper in their hand, furrowing their brow in confusion. It’s completely blank. What the hell is Copia talking about? There isn’t a damn thing written on here!

“Other side, Sister,” Cardinal Copia says softly.

Surely enough, when Callisto turns over the sheet of paper, the words “TOUR DATES” are written at the top followed by several cities with their corresponding dates and venues. “Oh,” they chuckle awkwardly, “how silly of me.” Callisto tries to smile off the awkwardness when they see the Cardinal sitting awkwardly in his chair, twiddling his thumbs. That’s when they realize. They didn’t offer him tea when he came in.

“My apologies, Your Eminence!” Callisto rasps as they scramble over to the little table against the wall where a little tea station was placed. Not offering a drink to your higher-ups when they come to see you is a serious faux pas. Hopefully the Cardinal will forgive them for this mistake. “I’m a little out of it today.”

“I can see that,” Cardinal Copia replies, voice full of concern. “Are you sure this isn’t a bad time, Sister? I can come back tomorrow if–”

“Oh no, Your Eminence,” Callisto interrupts him, carrying a tray with two cups of tea over to the desk. Setting the tray down, they force a smile in an attempt to reassure the Cardinal that nothing is wrong. “We can go over the tour just fine! I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

“Sister, your hands are shaking.”

The Cardinal is right. Callisto is struggling to hold one of the small teacups and it’s showing. They quickly set it down and gain purchase on the desk. “I’m fine, Your Eminence,” they croak. “I’m fine.”

Cardinal Copia gets up from his seat and rushes to Callisto’s side. “You need to rest, Sister,” he insists. “You’re working yourself to death.” He feels an ache in his chest seeing them in this condition. Why is that? Three months ago, he would have been smug. He would have mocked them for biting off more than they could chew. So why does he feel so bad? He hasn’t started liking this bothersome sister, has he? That can’t possibly be it.

“Please, Your Eminence,” Callisto pleads hoarsely. “Just let me finish this last thing–”

“Sister Callisto,” Cardinal Copia says with a stern voice. “This can wait until tomorrow.” He holds out his hand and Callisto, finally giving in, takes it. Placing his other hand on the small of their back for support, he guides them to the sofa next to the little table and sits them down. He immediately goes back to the desk to retrieve one of the cups of tea.

“You don’t have to do all this, Your Eminence,” Callisto rasps as the Cardinal hands them a cup of tea.

“Nonsense,” Cardinal Copia replies. “Drink your tea, it will help with your voice.”

The smell of honey and chamomile calms Callisto a bit, and the tea really does help with their voice. They drink the tea so fast that they almost choke. This is the first thing they’ve had to eat or drink in over twelve hours. Before they can even look up from their cup, Cardinal Copia brings over a box of pastries that was on the little table.

Callisto scarfs down at least five apricot danishes before their hunger is satisfied. Finally having eaten, they suddenly come to their senses. Something about the Cardinal’s behavior is… off. The way he’s calmly and quietly helping them is quite unlike the man they were formally introduced to a few months ago. Watching the Cardinal’s every move, they only grow warier. Is he trying to snoop around their office under the guise of being kind? If so, he won’t find anything he can use for leverage.

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, Sister,” Cardinal Copia says, seemingly sensing Callisto’s distrust. “I’m not trying to hurt you.” He walks to the sofa and sits down next to them. “It’s just that I’m all too familiar with this situation,” he continues. “You’ve suddenly been given a high position, and now you’re bending over backwards trying to prove that you are worthy.”

Callisto is shocked to hear this, but tries not to let it show. After all, this may very well be some kind of ploy to gain their trust. But the Cardinal is right. There was an uproar when it was revealed that they were replacing Sister Imperator, albeit temporarily. Especially among the older sisters of the convent. These last three months have been absolute chaos. Callisto had to work ten times harder than any other Clergy member (besides Cardinal Copia, of course) to prove that choosing them wasn’t a mistake, and, most importantly, to stay alive. The Clergy disposed of their Papas without hesitation or remorse; disposing of a lowly sister of sin would be nothing. Callisto is very aware of the sword dangling above their head.

“Are you trying to prove your worthiness?” Callisto asks carefully.

“All the time,” Cardinal Copia answers without hesitation. “I’ve been trying to prove myself for far longer than you’ve been on this earth. One thing I’ve learned is that you’re not gonna get anywhere by destroying yourself. Your health and well-being are important as well.” He gently places a hand on Callisto’s back and looks into their sleepy, red eyes. He feels a sting in his chest again, but ignores it.

“Please promise me you’ll get some rest.”

“I will, Your Eminence.”

“Thank you, Sister.”

The Cardinal gets up and walks to the door. Before he leaves, he looks over his shoulder and sees Callisto curl up on their side.

“Goodnight, Sister,” he says, barely audible.

“Goodnight,” Callisto mutters before completely falling asleep.

The Cardinal exits the office and quietly closes the door behind him, so as not to wake the sleeping Sister on the other side. Walking back to his chambers, he can’t seem to get them out of his head. The feeling of their hand in his, the way they curled up as they were falling asleep, their gruff voice as they wished him goodnight…

“…. Shit.”


End file.
